What She Doesn't Know Will Hurt her
by blinnn
Summary: My name is Gretchen; and I'm here to warn you all of this boy, in hopes that you don't get stuck in the mumbo-jumbo yourself. Dasey. Rated T because I tend to curse.
1. A Prologue of Sorts

AN: Wow. To be completely honest with you, this came out of NOWHERE. I _really_ had no idea what I was going to write. I'm just sitting her. Four in the morning. Writing this story. And I don't know how long this will end up being. To be honest, It might just be a two-shot. (I say "To Be Honest" a lot-sorry!) So I'm just going to see where this goes. I mean, I could drag it out. Or not. But I probably will, because that's how insane I am. Anyways. I've been in this long writer's/vidder's block for quite some time. I mean. I really have no idea what I'm going to do about this problem! Hopefully this story will help get rid of my creative block! Wish me luck! haha. Alright, enjoy the story!

Disclaimer: I only own Gretchen. She isn't real. Also, I've never heard of a Grayfield's Diner, I made that up on the spot, so if you're out there, please don't sue me. I had no clue you existed! But I'm sure you make terrific blueberry pie! :)

Summary: My name is Gretchen; and I'm here to warn you all of this boy, in hopes that you don't get stuck in the mumbo-jumbo yourself. Dasey.

* * *

**What She Doesn't Know Will Hurt Her**

**A Prologue of Sorts**

I watched on in sympathy. I mean, I really just wanted to scream, holler, _anything_; just to get my point across.  
But I couldn't very well do that, I mean; I didn't want to seem _insane_ or anything.

It's just- I wanted to _warn_ the poor girl about what she was getting herself into.  
She thought she was just innocently flirting with a hot guy. And to anyone else, that's what it looked like.  
But I knew better. I know that with him, it's opening up this whole can of insanely-hard-to-get-rid-of worms.

He was good-looking, sure; everyone knew that. He was smooth, charismatic, sarcastic(in the good way-for the most part-), basically everything you'd want in the bad-boy-with-a-heart-of-gold type. Except...

Well...

I'll get to that later.

I should probably start off by telling you who I am, exactly... and why I'm even writing this.  
My name is Gretchen; and I'm here to tell you about a boy. A boy who's a heart-stealer, an admiration-winner, and well... a boy who happens to be my ex-boyfriend. I'm here to _warn _you all, of said boy, in hopes that you don't get stuck in this mumbo-jumbo yourself.

I guess I should probably start with the day it all started. The day I met Derek Venturi.

---  
It was March 12th, 2009. I was in the very same restaurant I'm in now,_ Grayfield's Diner_. It's a quaint little place, and the owner doesn't usually hire _anyone_ outside the family.  
But for some reason, they'd hired _him_. So, needless to say, I'd been intrigued. Especially since, well... it's my favorite restaurant.  
I make frequent visits to the place; they know me by name, know my orders(according to which day I come in), know my story. I'm practically part of the family, as well.  
So when I saw an unfamiliar face, I questioned it.

"Who might _you _be?" I asked, turning a side of my mouth up a bit, lifting an eyebrow in the process. So _maybe_ I was flirting a bit, but hey. I told you, he was _scorching_.

"I'm Derek;" He reciprocated the smirk(it seemed he'd practiced it for way too long), "And what's your beautiful name to match your beautiful face?" He'd asked. Oh boy, was he a smooth-talker. I specifically remember my breath catching in my throat at this point.

But I responded, nevertheless, "Gretchen." My gaze bore into his. We were locked in this long battle of... eye-ball _chicken_, or something. But I won as he glanced down at the pad of paper in his hand.

"Right, well, _Gretchen_... can I get you anything? A coffee? My number? A burger? My number? Oh! Or a piece of pie?" He spoke animatedly, yet with such conviction. Oh, he was _good_, alright.

I smiled endearingly at him, "What was the last one?" I knew his response before he'd even opened his mouth-

"My number?" He smirked. So yeah. I _knew_ that wasn't his last option, but it was definitely expected. He was a player, I knew the type. I've dated many like him before; that doesn't make him any less _attractive._

"Right." I laughed, "I'll take that. With a side of blueberry pie."

"Coming right up." And as I watched him walk away, I knew then... that I'd be in big trouble.

I vowed not to let myself get close to anyone after my last boyfriend. It had been going well for quite some time, but this... Derek Venturi guy... he made it hard to remember any of my morals, my values, my promises to myself. My mind went _blank_ when he was near me, and I just... I felt like he and I were the _only_ ones in the room.

Derek had come back some time later with my blueberry pie in a packaged to-go box. On the top of the box he'd written, "555-0817 - Derek V." and he gave it to me with a wink. I walked to the counter to pay for my food before leaving(a bit reluctantly), a dazed expression on my unknowing face the entire time.

I eventually called him, and we set up a date.  
But boy was I in for a big surprise. One that would change my perspective on life, forever.

...A surprise named, Casey McDonald.


	2. The First Date! WarningSign?

AN: READ THIS PLEASE!!!

To understand a part of this chapter you have to understand that this story is basically a _book_ that Gretchen is writing for all the world to see.  
I've taken it upon myself(because, who else would do it?!) to make a book cover!

You can see this image at: http : // i326(dot)photobucket(dot)com / albums / k422 / kthxilyxxx / whatshedoesntknow(dot)jpg

TAKE OUT THE SPACES AND REPLACE THE (DOT)'S WITH REAL PERIODS. (silly).

Anyways.

With that out of the way; I hope you enjoy the second installment of this 'book'.

Disclaimer: I don't own Life with Derek.

* * *

**What She Doesn't Know Will Hurt Her**

**Chapter One: The First Date - Warning Sign?**

Now, I know what you're all thinking.  
Who is this Casey girl, and what does she have to do with anything?

Well, this is why you need my help, lovely readers.  
Because... 'this Casey girl' has _a lot_ to do with _everything_.

But I'm getting ahead of myself, really.

I should tell you about our(and when I say 'our' I mean, Derek & I's) first date.

Oh, it started out wonderfully, to be quite honest. He picked me up at my apartment, opened the car door for me. He was a complete gentleman, to my surprise. I'd pegged him a bit differently, you see.

I mean, I knew he was a player, that much was for sure; but usually guys like him don't even _bother_ with the small things(like opening car doors, pulling chairs out for the woman, being... well... courteous). But I guess, you shouldn't stereotype people... so that was, apparently, my lesson for the day: Don't judge a book by it's cover.

(Except for the one you're reading; The whole -silhouette in a circle with a line through it- yeah, that you can read into. It means that this guy is someone that you should stay away from! BEWARE OF DEREK VENTURI!)

So back to the matter at hand; he was being such a fantastic date, and it didn't hurt that he was still so _damn_ attractive. We talked for hours over dinner. We even ordered five different desserts to be able to stay in the restaurant longer. Neither of us wanted the date to end, I was sure of that.

But all things _must_ come to a freaking end, don't they? The manager had come over to our table and kicked us out at about Eleven-Fifteen that evening. I guess we just should have been thankful that he'd let us stay as late as we did.  
We left the restaurant, not wanting to go home, of course.  
So we took a stroll around the park.

It was quite possibly the best date I had ever been on. Even to this day, I think it was phenomenal. Words couldn't explain the feeling I got when I was with him.

I'd basically spewed my whole life's story to him that night. Starting with what my mother ate while she was pregnant with me, and ending with what I'd eaten for breakfast that very morning. I hadn't even noticed that he'd barely spoke about his family(I mean, don't get me wrong, he'd talked endlessly about _other_ things- hockey, food, hockey, his best friends, his band, his major, his life's dream; pretty much _everything_ except for his family), until I had pretty much ran out of verbal fuel.

"So, silly. Now that I've told you all about my crazy family, how about you start on yours?" I offered as we sat on a park bench overlooking some random body of water(I couldn't be bothered to remember any details that didn't have to do with how interesting this boy was to me).

He let out a large breath as he looked up at the stars. I didn't notice it then, but he was definitely looking to them for a reason. It was as if he needed them for _strength_ or something.. Like he needed help of some kind. But finally he spoke, "Oh, you _definitely_ don't want to hear about them. They're insane." He rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand. His left was already intertwined with mine.

"Come on," I elbowed him softly, "I think it's only fair you let me in on them, considering all I've told you about my -obviously unstable- relatives." I joked.

That's when he looked at me. His eyes searching mine. I believe he was looking for a sign that I wasn't going to run off with information that he desperately wished no one else knew about him. Apparently, he found what he was looking for because- "Well... my family's... a bit... different." His words were coming out in slow bursts. He looked at me again, and I nodded for him to continue, "First of all;" He took a breath, squeezing my hand softly(maybe it was an accident, who knows?), "My parents divorced when I was young, I've lived with my dad since. He remarried. Now, my... household, well back in London-not here in Kingston- consists of George, my dad; Nora, my step-mother; Edwin, my loser little brother; Marti, my favorite - she's a little spit-fire; Lizzie, my Step-sister, who's a little sports fanatic, just like me... and... uh-" He stopped. He tapped his foot on the sidewalk for a few beats, "My half-brother, Tyler. He was just born so... I don't really know how he'll end up." He finished with a chuckle.

He was nervous, I could tell. It was cute; he bit is lip every few seconds and his eyes were glistening. It was like he was a little kid that peeked at his presents before Christmas and everyone couldn't stop mentioning 'Santa would be coming' and pretending that he'd been a 'bad boy' so he'd only get coal this year. But in the back of his mind, he _knew_ he'd get more; but he didn't think he deserved it and-  
Okay, maybe I'm going a bit overboard.

What I'm trying to say is, he looked a bit shameful. Like he'd done something unforgivable, and he just wished he could take it back.

"Are you alright?" I asked, because something wasn't _right_ about this whole thing; I felt like I was missing something _important_, and that was just not going to fly with me.

"I'm fine," He looked at me, and Oh, he was GOOD at hiding things after he'd been called out on them. His face had returned to his normal -mirthful- state. "I should take you home, it's getting kind of late, and I've got practice in the A.M. tomorrow." He smoothed his thumb over the back of my hand in reassurance. That was a good thing, because I felt like he was trying to get rid of me, and it just... well it hurt a bit.

"Okay, that's understandable. I've got a test tomorrow anyways, so I'd better rest up." I lied. I didn't want to seem _desperate_, did I?

He smiled before standing up, and offering his hand to help me off of the bench.  
As we walked back to his car, which we'd abandoned at the restaurant for this midnight(ish?) walk through the park, we stayed pretty silent. The only sounds that escaped our mouths were that of us breathing.

He drove to my apartment building and parked outside, before getting out to open my car door, _again_! What a gentleman, he was.  
Walking up to my door was basically... awkward, because we both _knew_ it was ending soon; within moments, even. It was just... weird.

But the weird-ness hadn't even begun, I realized, as his cell phone went off.

"I'm sorry." He spoke quietly to me before looking at the caller I.D. His eyes went wide, and I'd never seen anyone look as pale as he did at that precise moment. He stammered, looking back and forth between me and his cell phone.

"You can answer it, if you need to. I don't mind." I told him, and he let out a breath that probably _neither_ of us knew he'd been holding.

"I- I'm really sorry, it'll just take one second. Promise." But he still had that panicked look on his face, so I was a bit apprehensive(with good reason, I learned quickly). "Yes?" He turned away from me to answer the call, I just watched out of the corner of my eye. "No." A short reply to the mystery caller. "Why?" I was definitely curious, of course... but... I wouldn't pry. Whoever it was, he didn't really seemed _thrilled_ to be talking to them, "Ca-" He cut himself short, stealing a quick glance in my direction, "Please; just... stop."

That was when I heard a scream from the other line, _"STOP?! Did you _really_ just tell me to STOP!?"_ Derek grimaced at the loud sound as it pierced his ear drum.

"Really; stop. We can talk about this later." Whoever he was talking to, didn't seem to want to take 'no' for an answer.  
"Just STOP, okay?!" He let the volume of his voice elevate, "You really need to go to bed. We'll talk about this tomorrow, when you're not so prissy. 'Kay, princess?!" My eyes went wide._ PRINCESS_?! He was talking to another girl, while standing _right next _to me?! Oh no he did _not_!

He proceeded to flip his phone shut, angrily. I decided that I didn't want to jump to conclusions, so I waited for him to explain what just happened.

"I'm- I'm really sorry about that. That was my- my step-sister." And I shouldn't have believed him, because he hesitated, but just the way he said it; I knew he was telling the truth. He added, "She's high maintenance, so I call her princess. She can be a big pain. All the time."

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion, "I thought you said she was a sports fanatic?"

He let out a bark of laughter, forgetting all about our previous conversation, "Casey? She hates sports."

"Casey? I- I thought her name was Lizzie?" I was _so_ confused.

But at this point he seemed to have gained the memory, _or lack thereof_, from when he was talking about his family. "Oh." He looked at his hands, nervously. "I- left her out of the equation, earlier... didn't I?" He asked rhetorically, "It's just... Casey and I don't see eye to eye. Ever. So sometimes I just like to pretend she doesn't exist."

"Well, that's a bit harsh." I irresponsibly replied, "I'm sure that if you just talked to her, you two could work things out... become better acquainted, be a family."

He instantly backed up, I knew something I had said was wrong(who know it was ALL of what I said that was wrong?).  
"I don't _talk_ to Casey. Talking to Casey is a _big_ no, no. We stay as far away from each other as possible, and all goes well. She's _not_ family." He replied defensively.

I knew I'd struck a chord, so I figured I'd better regain myself before he decided he didn't want to go out again.  
"Well, that's okay too; I suppose." I paused, and he let out a small sigh, "but I think we should be saying our goodbye's now. I mean, you do have that hockey practice tomorrow morning."

He smiled at me, which made my heart flutter, just a bit... honestly; "Yeah, and you've got that test to rest up for." He added.  
Test? The lie slipped my mind, but I recovered the thought just as quickly as I lost it. "Right." I chuckled, unlocking my door and opening it up.

"Well, goodnight, Gretchen. I had a great time with you tonight. I hope to hear from you again." He placed a peck on my cheek before I smiled at him and walked into my apartment; but just before I shut the door I heard his cell phone go off again, and him whisper-yelling, "What the _hell_ do you want, Space Case?! Can't you take a freaking _hint_?!"

I probably should have taken all of this as a _warning _of some kind; but silly me and my pyschotic tendencies. I get so attached, _so _easily. Especially to guys like Derek. So I continued onward with the relationship...

I had _no_ idea what I'd be getting myself into.


	3. Second Date BusinessMeeting?

AN: I am SO glad that everyone likes the story so far! :) You are all so very sweet! I hope you enjoy this chapter, and right after I upload this, I'm going to get to writing the next one (despite the fact its three in the morning), because I have a really AMAZING plan for the next chapter.

Read & review my loves x3.

*also, my friend Christina & I have thought up something epic. an awesome way to declare the love for Dasey. I uploaded a vid to my YT Channel, and the details video is coming soon. She & I just have to figure out the specifics and then it'll be up! Just check out the video. I feel a bit bad because people think I know something that they don't about the movie and it isn't true, but I'm not allowed to speak about it! haha*

Anyways, Enjoy. :)

DISCLAIMER: I Don't own Life with Derek.

* * *

**What She Doesn't Know Will Hurt Her**

**Chapter 2: Second Date. BusinessMeeting?**

So you're probably thinking that I'm going to be telling you all about our second date next.

Well you'd be wrong. Kind of.

I mean... I'll get there, don't you worry...  
but first... I've got to tell you what happened when he called me the day after our first date.

Which... caught me completely by surprise because- what kind of guy calls the day after?  
I mean... a _good_ guy does that. Not the bad boy that I totally knew he was.

So the conversation went a little something like this:

"Derek?"

"Hey, Gretchen."

"Uh... don't take this the wrong way but... is something up with you?"

"What? Why would there be anything _'up'_ with me?" Odd, he sounded sincere.

"Well... it's just... guys don't usually call the day after the first date... at least... none of the guys I've dated have."

"Well I'm different, I guess." I could tell he was smirking. What an ego booster; I shouldn't have said anything.

"Yeah, yeah..." I just replied in an attempt to sound uninterested. "So... was there something you wanted to talk about?"

He paused, "Y-yeah... actually; there is something I need to talk about."

My stomach twisted. I honest-to-God thought he was going to tell me I was insane, ugly, or weird, and that he never wanted to see me again. Where did this wave of self-consciousness come from?!

"Oh?" Was all I could muster without sounding insanely nervous.

"Yeah... I wanted to talk to you about last night." My eyes widened. What could he possibly need to tell me about last night? I mean... we'd already gone on the date, and had a great time(save for the last ten minutes that were... incredibly odd- but I pushed that behind me- hadn't he?).

"What about last night?" I kept my cool, and my replies short.

"It's about Casey." I let out a semi-silent sigh of relief. Whew! It's just about his step-sister. I thought he was going to tell me that I was a totally unacceptable date, and that I should just take a vow of celibacy because no guy would ever look my way.

Okay... what?!  
I've _never_ been one to criticize myself; especially not _this much_ within about twenty minutes. There's something about this _boy_ that made me feel like I needed to be perfect, or else he wouldn't have me. And I was scared, yet exhilarated at the same time.

"Oh!" I let out a nervous chuckle, "What about her?"

I waited impatiently, yet with much more ease than before.

"Well... I know that I told you that I like to pretend she doesn't exist..." he paused, "but the problem is..." he sighs, "She _does_;" I let out a slight chuckle, but he continued, "So I guess, what I'm trying to say is... she wants to meet you."

Meet me? Meet ME?! I didn't understand why on Earth Derek's step-sister would ever feel the need to meet someone that he had only gone on _one_ date with... but... I guess I didn't mind. I mean... how bad could it really be?

So I agreed. And Derek let me in on the ins and outs of his step-sister.  
And... for someone that wasn't supposed to exist in his world, he sure knew a lot about her. How she reacted to different things; what her facial expressions meant; what to avoid talking about if you want to get on her good side; what to talk about if you want to be special pals with her(this option seemed to make Derek very apprehensive). He spent a good forty-five minutes debriefing me, and he even gave me a tiny seven-questioned quiz at the end, just to make sure I had everything right(I did).

Then we'd agreed to have dinner at his apartment that Friday night at seven o'clock at night. He made sure that I knew not to come early, or Casey would have a mini-freak-out about not being ready; and not to come late because it would cause a not-so-different Casey freak-out, which entailed her thinking that she was unlikeable(which Derek commented to me, was completely probable), and I didn't want that guilt on my head.

With all of this in mind... I readied myself; I had (a little less than) four days to adjust to... as Derek put it, "living in a whole different world; a world where Casey McDonald's word (in her own mind) was law, and anyone that disagreed with her, was wrong." So, needless to say, I was a bit scared.

All week, Derek had been doing uber-cute things that had kept my mind off of the impending meet-and-greet with his step-sister.

On Tuesday morning, I found a rose in a vase outside of my door, with a note attached: Meet me for lunch? - D.  
I didn't meet him that day, though. I was busy with my Social Psych. assignment. It took me the whole day to finish, but he'd called me that night and I told him we could have lunch the next day.

So the next morning I woke up to a knock on the door.  
"Delivery for Gretchen Hendrickson." A nerdy boy greeted me when I answered the knock.  
"Oh, thank you so much." I tipped him and he went on his way.  
I read the note: Sweets for my sweet?  
I ripped open the package and inside was a Wonka Bar.  
I smiled, remembering that I told him how much I loved the way they looked in the first version of the movie, when it was "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory", not "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory".  
That day he texted me telling me that something had come up with the hockey team, and the coach needed him. There went our lunch date; again.  
That night, once again... Derek promised that we'd meet for lunch.

Nothing was waiting at my door when I had left for class on Thursday morning, which upset me a bit, but I couldn't expect to be showered with gifts everyday, now could I?  
Apparently I could, because once I opened my backpack I found another little surprise.  
It was a large box of saltine crackers.  
The note read: For any upset tummy you might ever get. I know you don't like throwing up.  
I mean... what a freaking sweetheart?! He remembers so much that I've told him. So who cares if our plans kept falling through all week. We were to meet for lunch today and I could give him a huge hug for all that he's done for me the past few days.  
But... fate seemed to be cruel... because... my boss called me into work at the last minute, and... I was a bit short on money these days. I couldn't say no.  
That night; Derek told me that we _needed_ to have lunch the next day, because he needed to make sure once again, that I was ready to meet Casey McDonald.

So we finally had our lunch-date; however, it was anything but.  
I hardly ate any food, because everything that Derek was telling me was just... too intense to take in... along with digesting the food, I'd have to digest that Casey would be sizing me up and reporting me back to their family back at home?  
That was a lot to take in.  
So it was hardly 'date', needless to say. It was basically like a business meeting. Just a formality, as it were. To make sure that the materials needed were... all there(for lack of a better phrase).  
So our 'date' ended up being a question and answer session about Casey McDonald.  
... and to be honest; I was getting tired of hearing her name.  
So tired that I'd started referring to her as McEvil.  
I let slip the nickname to Derek and he let out a hearty laugh before warning me not to let it slip to McEvil herself, or I'd be shunned.

I was starting to really regret agreeing to this whole ordeal, but the look on Derek's pleading face? I couldn't say no to that!

--

...Friday came _a lot_ sooner than expected. I had a cute outfit picked out, and I was applying my last bit of make-up before I got a text message.  
It was Derek, telling me that If I left my house in two minutes, I'd be exactly on time.  
So I put my lip gloss in my purse and took off for the door.

Driving there I was a nervous wreck. But I got a text from Derek: Relax, cutie. Everything's gonna be fine!

... So you can see how I could find Derek Venturi so _utterly_ fascinating, can't you?

I sure hope so... because I'd hate to be the only one thinking that those small gestures were absolutely adorable.

But the point of this is not _only _to explain to you the charming side of Derek Venturi, but also to show you the side that not many people see.

The one only a few select people have gotten to experience...

Oh... you'll see what I mean, soon enough.


	4. Third Date! Crazy Meet And Greet

AN: You love Dasey? DO THIS ON SEPTEMBER 18th!

http :// www(DOT)youtube(DOT)com / watch?v=UNZLWZylGXo (replace the (DOT) with a period and rid yourself of the spaces)

PLEASE!

THANKS!

Now read!

* * *

**What She Doesn't Know _Will_ Hurt Her**

By Gretchen Hendrickson

**Chapter Three-A: Crazy Meet And Greet**

So I got there.  
I didn't know what to expect, honestly.  
From what Derek had described, I had been extremely surprised at the way Casey greeted me.  
I guess I just expected her to have an upturned nose and a snooty attitude.

What I didn't expect _at all_ was a very smiley Casey McDonald wrapping her arms around me in an embrace.  
"Oh, it's _so_ nice to meet you!" She spoke as she pulled away from the hug. Looking me up and down, she added, "Oh, you were right Derek. She _is_ a cutie."

A blush crept to my cheeks as I heard Derek, "Shut up, Casey."  
I quietly thanked her in response before she invited me in.

Once I stepped into the foyer, Derek took my jacket and purse while Casey stared at him as if he'd grown another head.  
After putting my belongings on a hook by the door he glanced at Casey with a raised eyebrow. They half-glared at each other for a few seconds before Casey turned her attention to me.

"So, Gretchen! You hungry?" She smiled, getting a bit over-excited.

I opened my mouth to answer when Derek spoke up, "What a stupid question, she's here for _dinner_, Spacey." Casey glared at her step-brother and I started to wonder if they ever just looked at each other _without_ the venom.

"Quiet, Derek."  
Derek rolled his eyes in response but shut up, nonetheless.

--

The bickering wasn't a surprise to me. Derek had given me a few detailed accounts of how far their fights had gone. One involving a broken bathroom doorknob, some shampoo, and a water pick. And many others involving the remote control, conflicting television programs, and stubborn personalities.

So this slight arguing that I was bearing witness to, seemed like nothing.

--

We sat down at the table some time later, and Casey went to the kitchen to get the salad.

"She seems nice, Derek. I think you were overreacting." I told him when the door shut behind her.

"Oh, _this_ is nothing." Was all he said before she cheerfully reappeared in the dining room.

"So, Gretchen." Casey spoke with sincerity, "You're going to school for..."

I knew she expected me to finish the sentence, "Sports management." I spoke and her eyebrows rose. Before she could respond, though, I added, "and advertising. Mostly advertising, really."

Her mouth agape and eyebrows still raised she said, "Wow, it's like a match made in heaven." She looked at Derek, who was playing with his salad and trying to hide a grin.  
I just blushed _once again_. "Did you grow up around sports, or something?" Casey asked politely.

"Oh yeah..." I chuckled, becoming less nervous by the second, "My dad has been coaching the hockey team at the high school in my hometown for my whole life... so he got me into it as well."

Apparently I hadn't mentioned this to Derek because his head popped up from his basically devoured salad. "You play hockey?" He asked, pieces of lettuce falling out of his mouth in the process.

Casey rolled her eyes, "Good job, Derek. Very Classy."

He waved a dismissive hand at Casey without taking his eyes off of me.  
... and let me tell you... his eyes... are killer.  
Literally; I mean... those babies could do some _damage_.

"Well, I mean..." I paused, "I _like_ to play hockey... I don't usually do it. Mostly just watch it; talk about it, you know..." I trailed off.  
His jaw was stuck in the unhinged position for quite some time and I chuckled nervously.

"Wow." Casey interjected, sounding completely bored, "Derek close your mouth." Casey instructed.

"Are you hearing this? She's amazing!" He spoke to her before adding, "You're amazing." quickly to me, as well.

I smiled, "Thanks." I said with a chuckle.

Something about the _look_ on Casey's face told me that there was _something_ I was missing. I didn't think much of it though, because she'd left shortly to get the entree from the kitchen.

I watched her go and heard Derek curse under his breath before following after her.

Needless to say, I was _confused_. I mean... one second we're all talking and everything is fine; and the next second I'm sitting all alone at the table as the two step-siblings were in the kitchen for only God knows what reason.  
I couldn't wrap my mind around it.

I could hear slight murmurs from the other room but I just sat there, trying not to listen.  
I didn't want to eavesdrop; I knew it'd only make matters worse.  
I decided to just wait until they came back and maybe they'd explain the reason behind their weird behavior.

About ten minutes later, Casey emerged all smiles and Derek followed closely behind her, except... he appeared to be _furious_.

"Sorry about that, Gretchen." was all Casey had given me as an explanation.  
It was when she sat down and started spooning the baked penne out of the dish when I saw that her eyes were glossy and she had faint streams of pink on her cheeks.  
She'd been _crying_?!

I mean... what on _Earth_ had gotten her so upset that she had to cry?

I didn't dare ask if she was okay because:  
1) I knew that always made things worse.  
and 2) she seemed content on acting like nothing was out of the ordinary.  
I just sat there and waited for something else to happen.  
I wished that Derek would just look at me and see the need in my eyes that _screamed_ for mormalcy. Instead he kept his head down as he stabbed at his meal.

Something weird was going on, and I wasn't about to be kept in the dark.


	5. Third Date! STILL!

Author's note: Sorry this took so long. It's been written for a long while now. I was just really busy and couldn't type it up. ANYWAYS. Enjoy. And run on over to my Youtube channel and watch the video titled... Yeah I don't remember the title but it says something about Michael Seater's birthday and it includes my nickname for him! "The MSeats" haha. :]

Disclaimer: I don't own it. just so you know. Thanks.

* * *

**What She Doesn't Know Will Hurt her**

Chapter Three-B: Meeting the STILL Crazy Girl.

During dinner I'd made my way into the bathroom.  
I knew that if I wanted answers, I'd have to do some snooping in order to get them. So with a lame 'powder my nose' excuse, I quickly walked to the bathroom. Not only did I want to rummage through Derek's belongings, but that dining room was just too silent and stuffy for its own good.

So there I was, with my head in his medicine cabinet, and...  
Was that _Midol?_ What was Derek doing with menstrual medication?

I moved on to the drawer under the sink… _tampons?_ Okay, there was definitely something that Derek was not telling me.  
Were they living together? He hadn't mentioned that. In fact, he had told me that she had her own dorm room…

Obviously, I was thoroughly confused. Was he living with a different girl?! What the hell was going on?!

My investigation would have to wait, I had decided, because I didn't want to draw any attention to myself.  
So I flushed the toilet, washed my hands to make it seem believable that I was using the bathroom, and started back towards the dining room.

I was almost back to the room when I heard Derek's voice, "…overreacting."  
Then I heard Casey scoff, "Since when do I _not_ overreact, Derek?"  
"You're insane. That's all I've got to say. She's _perfect_, why can't you see that?"  
"Maybe that's the whole problem."  
"Whatever, Casey. Just be nice to her… for me." There was a long pause before Casey replied.  
"I wasn't planning to be anything but."

I chose this time to round the corner, "I'm back!"

"Welcome!" Casey smiled. Derek rolled his eyes at her sudden change in mood.

"Hey, Gretch." He greeted me with a soft smile. And just like that, I forgot all about the investigation and got lost in his smile.

I know what you're thinking, 'you must be _weak_ if you can't handle a cute guy smiling at you.' Well that's because you don't know Derek Venturi. It's absolutely _impossible_ to look away from him when he's smiling.

The rest of the night went a lot smoother and Casey was very accommodating. That is, of course, until Derek told her that we wanted alone time.

As Casey grabbed her coat, Derek told me he'd be right back before walking towards the door.

I looked over my shoulder from my place on the couch and hear the whispering.

"And… expect… go?"  
"Uh… dorm?!"  
"…haven't… all year!"  
"Then… Erin's… she… happy… you!"  
"…crazy… think… over."  
SLAM!

And Derek came back over to the couch to join me. He sat down next to me and pit his arm around me and… goodness. I wish everyone could feel that… protected.

"So… That was my insane step-sister." He spoke softly, looking into the space in front of us.

I wasn't really sure what to say considering I'm quite positive she hated me by this point.

"She doesn't seem as bad as you made her sound." I lied.

He laughed, "Oh, come on. I know you were listening while you so 'conveniently' went to the bathroom."

I suddenly because very defensive. How _dare_ he think that I would listen in on a personal conversation?

Well… okay, maybe I would… but only because I had significant reason to! Which was why I hadn't listened to their conversation in the kitchen? That was personal, and I didn't want to impose, but after I heard them talking about _me, _I had to listen in!

"Excuse me?!" I raised my voice, and pulled myself out of his grasp.

That's when his face suddenly paled and within seconds he disappeared.

Like… what the _hell_?! We were _talking_ and he just… flees!? No. This isn't how it's going to go down.

I didn't have much time to process it, though, as he returned shortly, color coming back to his face. I also noticed that the tips of his hair were a bit wet, as if he was soaking his face in water.

Once he sat down I decided to strike, "I don't mean to be rude, but what the _hell_ is going on?!" I paused, only to take a breath, before continuing, "This whole night, I've been keeping it cool, playing it safe, pretending that everything _wasn't_ extremely insane!"

Derek was just looking at me in fear.

"I mean, with your sister crying in the kitchen and-" I stopped. I kind of had to, seeing as Derek got up and stormed over to the dining room table.

"Wha-" I stuttered, "I'm talking to you!" I yelled after him.

He refused to speak to me, which obviously just pissed me off.

He stood, leaning against the wall in the dining room, which I hadn't mentioned before was completely visible from the living room. He was a college student with his own apartment; it couldn't have been too large, obviously.

"You know what, Derek? I don't deserve this." I said, walking to the door, "I keep trying to make excuses for you and I'm really running out of valid ones."

That made him look at me. And I found myself wishing he was still ignoring my existence. His eyes, and just… all of his features; they showed how horribly upset he was.

And suddenly, I felt extremely guilty. Surely, Derek was just having a hard time. I shouldn't have yelled at him.

"Oh… Derek. I'm- I'm sorry. I shouldn't have reprimanded you. You're probably having a tough time. I'm really sorry." I apologized, walking over towards him, softly.

He didn't speak; he just let me wrap my arms around him and then swung his around me.

"I'm sorry." I repeated.

"Not as sorry as I am, Gretch. You're amazing, always remember that." He whispered into the top of my head.

That's basically when I knew I had fallen _hard_ for Derek Venturi.


	6. Hockey StudETTE

AN: HEY YAAAA.  
Yeah.. uh… don't ask.

Okay so… How's this for semi-fast updating? I mean… I know it's not like… super-fast.. but… COME ON PEOPLE, I can only do so much! Haha I took the time to reply to each and every one of your reviews for last chapter! (I was in class at the time, and avoiding doing the work).

ANYWAYS.  
On to my NEXT topic. Some of you may know… I've organized this… Wondrous Michael Seater Birthday Video Tribute… Thingy. Haha

If you DON'T know what I'm talking about… GO HERE:  
*oh come on.. you know what to do with links on FF. Take out the spaces and replace the dots!*  
http:// www(dot)youtube(dot)com/ watch?v=w8sYRJ6ABpQ

That's where you can find all of the information.

Basically what's happening is, we take ALL INTERESTED MICHAEL SEATER FANS and putting them into ONE (Or…two… or three.) VIDEO(S), and send them to Michael on Twitter. And for those of you who are worried about too much work… I'LL be doing the editing! No skin of your back, my dears. But please, please PLEASE do this… and tell your friends to join in. I want this to be special and awesome and I KNOW (based on all the various DISCLAIMERS on the site) that you all ADORE Michael Seater. So come ON! Let's DO THIS THING! :-) PLEASE AND THANK YOUUUUU x3

BTW: (and this IS in the description in the video) This... event.. has a twitter! Go follow!:  
http:// www(dot)twitter(dot)com/ mseatsgeeks

AND..... BREAK.

Disclaimer: (this is what most sound like) I don't own Life with Derek, but I'd love to own me some Michael Seater/Derek Venturi, eh? Anyone? Tough crowd.

* * *

**What She Doesn't Know _Will_ Hurt Her**

**Chapter Four: Hockey Stud-ette**

Over the next week, Derek and I had gotten closer; sharing secrets and spending a lot of time together. It was great for the first four days, but on Tuesday, I had gotten this weird text message:

"He's lying to you." I had no clue who it was from or what they were talking about but when I asked who they were, they replied, "Some Anonymous Man." I didn't press further on his identity, but I did ask what he was talking about.

He had said, "Derek. He's lying to you. You'll get hurt."

I'm not going to lie; the message had gotten my mind running. I wondered what Derek would lie to me about, and how this guy knew anything about it.

But I decided to push it to the back of my mind. It could have just been some idiot trying to break us up for 'kicks and giggles'; or it could be some jealous girl trying to steal Derek away from me.

Psh. Like I was going to let _that_ happen.

So, after a distracted class or two, I decided to ignore it. Derek greeted me as my left my afternoon class, later that day.

"Hey, good lookin'." He winked at me while taking my hand in his own.

"Right back at'cha, hot stuff." I smiled at him and he smirked.

I noticed that he did that _a lot_. He smirked when someone complimented him or when he found something a _certain kind _of amusing. It was definitely an attractive character trait.

"So, what are we doing tonight?" He asked, turning towards me as we reached the quad.

"Mmm…" I gave it some thought, scrunching my nose, "I dunno, what d'you think we should do?" I said with a bat of my eyelashes.

"How about some hockey?" He offered, _trying_ to sound offhanded.

"Uhh… there's not a game on tonight, is there?" I asked in confusion.

"I never said anything about _watching_. We'd be _playing_." His eyes were on fire.

…and I could have _sworn_ I'd seen that look in his eyes before… but I couldn't pinpoint when or where.

"You want to play a game with a just two people?" I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Well, obviously, we wouldn't play a full game, but we could do some shooting practices and basic drills. It'll be fun!" He finished excitedly. I couldn't help compare him to a child on Christmas day.

How could I say 'no' to that? Plus… it really _did_ sound like fun. I hadn't played in quite a long time. Not to mention, it was just so great that Derek and I could even _do _stuff like that for a _date_.

* * *

"You're playing _hockey_ with him… on your _date_?" My friend, Miranda(or 'Randy' as I call her), asked with a deadpanned expression when I told her about my plans.

"Yeah." I replied simply.

"Weirdest. Couple. Ever." She joked, and I hit her arm playfully before hearing a knock on the door.

"We're not weird, just… different." I justified, heading over to answer the knock.

"Same difference.!" She yelled as I opened the door to see Derek.

"Hey-uh… whatcha talking about?" Derek asked, suddenly seeming very uncomfortable.

I furrowed my eyebrows, "What's the matter, babe?"

"Noth- nothing." He chuckled nervously before clearing his throat, "Don't worry about it. You ready?" He finished, regaining his composure.

"Yeah, let me grab my gear really quick."

I saw the beginnings of a 'Derek smirk' as I grabbed my bag from behind the door.

"See ya later, Randy!"

Derek's eyebrows shot up before he heard the feminine voice reply, "You two have fun now, but not _too_ much fun…" She trailed off as I closed the door.

"Come on, let's go." I rolled my eyes jokingly.

* * *

Fast forward to the ice rink.

God, we were having _so_ much fun! At first.  
But I'm getting a head of myself.

When we the evening started, I realized that I was a bit… _rusty__._

And it wasn't even my technique that needed practice. Just my skating.

But as soon as I started wobbling, Derek was behind me, guiding me. With his hands securely at my hips, I felt more confident , more… safe.

Like there could have been a global earthquake and Derek and I would be the only ones left standing.

And I _am_ aware of how cheesy that sounds… and it may seem like I've forgotten the whole _reason_ I started this in the first place but believe me, I didn't.

I know it looks like I've just fallen into this horrible love-sick pattern and have disregarded my whole "Down with Derek" mentality. Not true.

You have to understand, my dears, that I must tell you _everything. _And that includes every emotion that I had been experiencing at the time. And at this point… I was in pure bliss.

Back to the story.

"Derek." I stated. I tried to look over my shoulder at him, but was jilted when Derek rested his chin on my head. By this time, is body was much closer to mine, his hands still gripping my waist.

"Hmm?" He murmured, contently.

"I- uh… I think I'm more than comfortable enough to do this alone, now." I tried to sound as sweet as possible. Not that I wanted any of it to end; certainly not. I just wanted to move forward with our date.

"Oh," He chuckled, "Right." And I held back a giggle at how _adorable_ he was when he was nervous.

He quickly regained his composure though, stating, "Let's see what you got." Challenge gleaming from his features.

And I, for lack of a better phrase, "brought it". He was tending goal as I fired shot after shot. He had blocked less than half of them. After I scored 36 out of 50, there were no more pucks left to shoot.

Derek took his mask off to show the shock on his face.

"How did you- what in the- _huh_!?" He asked in exasperation.

"Years of practice." I replied trying to catch my breath. "I just needed to rebalance on the ice. My skill never left, Derek." His mouth opened and closed a few times and I just laughed.

"I mean… I know goaltender isn't exactly my… thing; but I've _never_ missed that many!" He concluded.

I just shrugged, "I guess I'm just better than you." I teased.

His eyebrows rose and without warning he was charging towards me. And uh… yeah. He was _fast_.

Next thing I know, I'm pinned up against the glass of the rink and Derek's looking at me with that fire that… I know… I just _know_ I saw it before.

"You sure about that?" He smirked and my breath caught in my throat.

"Okay." I started, taking a breath, "maybe you're faster than me." I conceded.

He just nodded, his eyes still intensely fixed on mine.

"But I'd whoop your ass on a breakaway." I added. And he kissed me.

And there was just… _something _about the kiss that… just. Well I couldn't put my finger on it. Which meant that I had no clue whether it was a good or bad thing. And it lasted far longer than I think _either_ of us would have liked.

That's when I realized he felt it too. That weird… presence that I'd felt during this kiss. He was trying his hardest to rid us _both_ of that feeling.

But it was no use, and by the time he pulled away it was just… awkward.

Don't get me wrong… I was _really_ feeling the kiss. But… I was just _also_ feeling something _else_, and… it was a bit too overpowering to even enjoy the kiss for what it was.

We didn't have any time to revel in the oddness of the situation because there was a loud _BANG!_ Signaling that someone had closed the door to the rink.

But when we looked for the source of the sound… no one was there.

That's when Derek swore under his breath, hung his head and rushed away from me.

"Where are you going?!" I yelled after him and his response was a resounding slam of the rink door.

And…

You'd be pissed, wouldn't you? You know… if your boyfriend ran out on your date?

I mean… there's only so much a girl can handle. Am I right!?

Well, after I'd changed into my normal clothes and stuffed my gear into my bad, I got a text message from that _same _person from earlier.

A picture.

Of Casey? And she was exiting the ice rink. And… I could very well be mistaken but… it looked like she was _crying_.

What the _hell_ was going on?!

Every time I thought things were back to normal, something else happens.

All I knew was I was very thankful that we'd walked to the rink. I didn't feel like being _anywhere_ near Derek.


	7. Not So Anonymous Anymore

**AN:** I KNOW, I HAVEN'T UPDATED THIS IN TEN THOUSAND YEARS! I'M SORRY! I know exactly where I want this to go, yet I didn't write it out. SHAME ON ME. Anyways. For those of you who enjoy this story, I thought you should know that this chapter fic may end up being a short one! BUT there will be a sequel to it! And it WILL be longer, and... to be honest, a lot better. LOL! Anyways! Dasey revival FTW!

I'm holding a fanfic contest! I'll be uploading something about it soon! It's up on the dasey revival website and facebook group page if you want to check it out. it's all about toothpaste and orange juice.

ANYWAYS!

This ones a bit short, but there's more to come, don't you worry.

* * *

**What She Doesn't Know Will Hurt Her**

**Chapter Five: Not So Anonymous Anymore**

The next week that passed, I avoided Derek Venturi.

He called, he left flowers, he left _chocolates_. He did basically everything he could to get a hold of me. He even waited outside of my apartment one day, but I snuck out of my window and down the fire escape.

I had also taken to texting that _guy_ regularly. You know, the one who was mysteriously sending me text messages about Derek.

The night he sent me the picture of Casey leaving the rink, I'd messaged him back asking why she had been crying. He didn't answer.

However, the next morning, he sent a text saying, "Ask Derek."

I tried calling the number to see if he'd either answer, or make the mistake of sending me straight to voice-mail. That way I could get a name out of him, or at least a voice.

Unfortunately, he knew my game and answered before quickly hanging up. Following this was a text: "Nice try, but it's not happening."

I harrumphed but asked if he would ever meet with me. He replied with, "Maybe. But only in private."

That's when I realized that I needed to get to know this guy.

I mean, I wasn't going to meet some random guy in a private setting without getting the least bit of background information on him.

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't trying to cheat on Derek; because for all intensive purposes, we were still technically 'together'. I was still pissed at him, yes, but when you're in a relationship, you've got to have room for give and take. Even if there was more giving than there was taking on my end. I've never been one to cheat, and I wasn't going to start.

I'm just saying, this guy could have been anyone! It could have even been a woman! I didn't know who I was talking to! And I was certainly not going to meet with someone that I knew nothing about.

So, I told him that. He agreed that he would call me eventually and prove to me that he is in fact, a man. Not that it really had anything to do with... anything. It was just one thing that would make him a tiny bit more trustworthy because he didn't lie about that at least.

It'd been a week, as I said earlier. I had received no call from him yet, and we'd been exchanging stories about ourselves and information. Mostly on his part. He seemed like a pretty decent guy...

It was right when I got home from my last class of the day when my cell phone rang.

The screen read, "Anonymous" which is what I had him saved as, since I didn't know his name.

My heart jumped to my throat as I answered the call, "Hello?"

"Gretchen?" A man's voice. Definitely a man's voice.

"Mystery man?" I raised my eyebrow, gaining some confidence.

He laughed, "You can call me Sam. You know, as in Some Anonymous Man."

I smacked my forehead, "Of course! Why didn't I put that together, before?! Stupid, stupid, stupid!" I reprimanded myself.

He laughed more, "Don't beat yourself up, dear."

I sighed, taking a seat on my sofa, "So, I finally know your name! This is a turning point in my life that I will remember forever." I joked.

He chuckled, "You better."

"Now that I've got you here, Mr. Not-So-Anonymous-Anymore... how do you know so much about Derek?" I figured I'd just go for it.

He hesitated, "I'm an old friend of his... which is why you can't let him know I'm talking to you."

"Well you'd think any friend of Derek's should be a friend of mine..." I frowned.

"You'd think... except, Derek is more complicated than he lets on." Sam informed me.

"I noticed." Frown still in place, "What's his deal, anyways? He's so confusing! I mean, one second he's totally into me, and the next he's leaving me standing alone at the ice rink."

"Like I said, Derek is... complicated. He may have a simple brain, but when it comes to his heart, there's a lot going on that most don't know about." He explained.

"You're being very vague." I pouted.

He laughed, "Yes, well, I also didn't tell you my name for quite some time. You have to find things out on your own, I'm afraid. I can't be of much more help to you."

"But I have learned _nothing_! The only thing you've told me is that Derek is lying to me. But what is he lying about? And what does Casey have to do with everything?" I was getting frustrated, but I kept my cool, for the most part.

"You'll find out in due time. All I can say is, ignoring Derek isn't going to give you any answers, and it's just going to prolong the inevitable. You're going to have to talk to him eventually."

I sighed, "I know... you're right; I just wish you weren't."

"Same here, Gretchen, believe me."

* * *

So I stopped ignoring him.

He came by my apartment that same night, and of course, to my chagrin, I let him in.

"Gretchen, listen. I'm so sorry I left you at the rink last week! I can explain..." He started as he strode into my apartment. I followed him to the sitting area where he sat on my couch and I sat on the coffee table in front of him.

"I'm waiting." I prompted him to explain his side of the story.

"You see, right after we kissed, you heard that loud bang, right? Well I caught a glimpse that it was Casey, and saw she was crying... I went after her to see what was up, and she had bad news from the fam. Then she wouldn't stop crying and it was just this whole big mess. I'm not good with tears. Espec-" he stopped abruptly, "-ially when I'm not expecting them." He finished.

I listened intently, but I knew he was lying. Something about the story was just... off.

"You could have at least yelled that you'd be back or something. Or you could have maybe... I don't know... _come _back to take me home?" I argued.

"I know," He started, reaching out for my hand and taking it into his own, "I'm sorry, Gretchen... please, give me another chance."

And you know... I really shouldn't have. You'd think I would have learned my lesson. The awkward situations that I've gotten into with this guy, the warnings from Sam, the lies and deceit... those should have all been signs that I should have said, 'screw you Venturi' and kicked him to the curb.

But his eyes told a completely different story. They called to me, enticed me with their brown color and golden ribbons or mirth and hopefulness. If I could go back in time to one moment, I'd go back to this very moment and punch myself in the face before I could respond to him.

"Alright..." I spoke mindlessly before shaking my head to focus a little more clearly, "But this is your _last_ chance, Derek."

His face brightened, and I felt relieved that he was so happy to be given another chance. I thought, maybe he_ did _want me, after all.

Boy, I really wasn't smart.

* * *

AN: WHATWHAT. Review please!?!?! lol :D I'll try to respond! I suck at life, though, so there's that.


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